Architecture and Emerging Cities: The Impact of Technological Change in Building Material A Study of Minna, Nigeria

The rapid development of modern city can be attributed to the new technologies in building construction, urbanization and the need to change the urbanscape of the city, the ever changing needs of the society and persisting environmental problems has also necessitated the emergence of new cities all over the world. Thus, Architecture plays a pivotal role in the design and implementation of modern cities and towns. The Impact of industrial revolution gave rise to new materials to the Architects of the 20th century: reinforced concrete, steel and glass, these new materials were inexpensive, mass produced and flexible to use, thereby serving as main building components. The aim of this paper is to check the level of technology in regards to building materials used in construction in Minna. The paper will identify modern building materials currently used in construction and the existing local building components and materials that are visible in the buildings in Minna. Findings were appraised along with the impact of technology on building materials by analyzing the level of modern building materials that have been used in construction. The paper finally concluded that impact of technology is evident in the transformation of the Indigenous Architecture of Minna although some buildings are still built with the use of crude techniques and with the combination of modern and traditional building materials. Keywords:  Architecture, Modern Building Material, and Technolog

Lecturers Commitment towards Students Academic Performance: A Regression Analysis

The commitment of academics staffs towards students’ academic performance has been a topic of intense interest during the last decades. Most of the applied research have employed a first order and Rasch model analysis which manifest variables that serve as indicators of the trait level at each time of measurement and validity process of the instrument. This paper examined the issues regarding the multidimensionality of accounting lecturers commitment towards students’ academic performance in Nigeria. A quantitative method analysis was used on the data obtained from the selected Nigerian University in evaluating their commitment to student academic performance. The data was analysed using multiple regression analysis through the application of statistical package for social sciences Version 21.0. Our findings showed that the multidimensionality of commitment are strong determinants of students’ academic performanc

Chalcopyrite Leaching in Ammonia-Ammonium Chloride Solutions: Insight into the Dissolution Kinetic Studies

The hydrometallurgical method for processing chalcopyrite ore has gained enormous attention due to the environmental problems emanated by the conventional pyrometallurgical route. Here, hydrometallurgy is considered an alternative that may be more of low-cost and environmentally friendly. Thus, alkaline leaching has been considered an effective, efficient, and acceptable leachant for chalcopyrite ore dissolution. The dissolution kinetics of copper from low-grade chalcopyrite ore was examined in an ammonia-ammonium chloride solution. However, the effect of parameters including leachant concentration, reaction temperature, and particle size was considered. . At optimal conditions (o.4 mol/L NH3-NH4Cl; 75 °C; 43 µm), 81.1% dissolution efficiency was achieved within 120 minutes. The leaching kinetics with activation energy (Ea) of 29.95 kJ/mol is by the proposed diffusion control mechanism. Hence, the dissolution rate was confirmed by characterizing the raw ore and un-leached residue using XRD and SEM-EDS analyses for possible industrial utilities

Sensitivity of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in Mining Soil from Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria

Excavation and processing of mineral deposits are valuable revenue sources yet they contribute serious environmental problems worldwide. Mining activities are widespread and contribute to heavy metal contamination in rural communities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Available research failed to establish how mining soil may impact on resident terrestrial organisms. This study assessed the health of soil from active mining site by testing it on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) for 10 weeks. Survival, mobility, morphology and behaviour of worms were assessed while soil was analyzed for selected heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrometry. Worm survival was evident as the proportion of reference soil increased in exposure mixture and improved until 92% in the control. Worms curled up at the bottom of test vessels with varying proportions of mining site soil and appeared discolored and dehydrated when taken out of test soil, with characteristic sluggishness, particularly as the proportion of mining soil increased in exposure mixtures. Though metal levels were within permissible limits, morphology of exposed worms were visibly impacted, which corresponds in severity with increasing proportion of mining soil. On the contrary, worms tested in 100% reference soil appeared healthy and active in upper part of exposure vessels. These results suggest that the tested mining soil had adverse impacts on mobility, morphology, behavior and survival of exposed organisms when compared with the control population. Therefore, food products grown downstream of the mining site may be at risk of heavy metal contamination with consequences on food quality, water quality and food chain

Topical Ear Drop Self-medication Practice among the Ear, Nose, and Throat Patients in Ido Ekiti, Nigeria: A Cross - sectional Study

Background: Self‑medication is a common habit in our country; Nigeria, especially among patients with otorhinolaryngological disorders. Medication when taken wrongly may bring dire consequences to the individual, such as masking developing diseases and may cause many other undesirable effects. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and to analyze topical ear drop self‑medication practices among respondents attending the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic of Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti, Nigeria. Design and Methodology: A 6‑month hospital based cross‑sectional study was conducted among patients who were seen in the Ear, Nose, and Throat facility of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti from July to December 2016 to determine topical ear drop self‑medication practices. A pretested semi‑structured questionnaire was used to obtained information from respondents. Results: A total of 162 respondents out of 493 patients seen during the study had otological problems. Of which 107 (66%) respondents had engaged in self‑medication with topical ear drops. Their ages ranged between 2 and 83 years with a mean age of 36.6 ± 19.1 years. There were 75 males and 87 females. The major reason for self‑medication was that their ailments were minor in about 40.2% and the most common indication for self‑medication was ear blockage with hearing impairment (33.6%). Pharmacy/chemist shops (42%) were major sources of information for those that self‑medicated. Chloramphenicol and gentamycin were the major drugs that were used by the respondents. Conclusion: Majority of the respondents in this study practiced self‑medication using different topical ear drops. Major source of information on the topical ear drops used was from pharmacy/chemist shops. There is a need for adequate public health education to create awareness among people on the danger of self‑medication and to enact or enforce the law to reduce access to over the counter drugs. Healthcare should be made available and avoidable at primary health‑care level

REASONS FOR CANCELLATION OF SURGERIES IN A NIGERIAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL

Background/Aim: High rates of cancellation of surgical procedures are common in hospital settings which may subsequently lead to economic loss to hospital besides burden given to patients, their families and medical teams. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence and causes of cancellation of surgical operations in our centre and made suggestions to reduce it to the minimum level. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective study carried out over a period of 18 months at Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti between January, 2016 and June, 2017. All patients booked for emergency and elective surgical procedures were enrolled in the study. Data were retrieved from emergency/elective scheduled operating lists and operation theatre registers were entered into data sheet. The age, gender, diagnosis, proposed surgery and reasons for cancellation were documented. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: A total of 380 elective and planned emergency surgeries were booked during the study period. Cancellations occur in 97(25.5%) cases. There were 60 (61.9%) males and 37 (38.1%) females with a male: female ratio of 1.6:1. The highest category of cancellations was as a result of administrative related factors in 76.3% of cases and lack of essential theatre facilities was the commonest cause of cancellation. Conclusion: From this study, lack of essential theatre facilities, which are preventable factors, are mainly responsible for cancellation of surgeries. A proper administrative structure with introduction of theatre manager, proper pre-operative assessment and preparation of patients, improvement in communication between medical teams and patients would reduce the rate of cancellation of booked surgical procedures

Topical Ear Drop Self-medication Practice among the Ear, Nose, and Throat Patients in Ido Ekiti, Nigeria: A Cross - sectional Study

Background: Self‑medication is a common habit in our country; Nigeria, especially among patients with otorhinolaryngological disorders. Medication when taken wrongly may bring dire consequences to the individual, such as masking developing diseases and may cause many other undesirable effects. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and to analyze topical ear drop self‑medication practices among respondents attending the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic of Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti, Nigeria. Design and Methodology: A 6‑month hospital based cross‑sectional study was conducted among patients who were seen in the Ear, Nose, and Throat facility of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti from July to December 2016 to determine topical ear drop self‑medication practices. A pretested semi‑structured questionnaire was used to obtained information from respondents. Results: A total of 162 respondents out of 493 patients seen during the study had otological problems. Of which 107 (66%) respondents had engaged in self‑medication with topical ear drops. Their ages ranged between 2 and 83 years with a mean age of 36.6 ± 19.1 years. There were 75 males and 87 females. The major reason for self‑medication was that their ailments were minor in about 40.2% and the most common indication for self‑medication was ear blockage with hearing impairment (33.6%). Pharmacy/chemist shops (42%) were major sources of information for those that self‑medicated. Chloramphenicol and gentamycin were the major drugs that were used by the respondents. Conclusion: Majority of the respondents in this study practiced self‑medication using different topical ear drops. Major source of information on the topical ear drops used was from pharmacy/chemist shops. There is a need for adequate public health education to create awareness among people on the danger of self‑medication and to enact or enforce the law to reduce access to over the counter drugs. Healthcare should be made available and avoidable at primary health‑care level

Removal of an Impacted Foreign Body from The Upper Airway with a Gastroscope in a Tertiary Hospital in South-West Nigeria – A Case Report

Foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction are encountered commonly in clinical practice and are a common endoscopic emergency. A wide variety of objects could be ingested which could get impacted, and the site of impaction is commonly the oesophagus but can also be the airway depending on the nature of the substance ingested, the age of the patient and the presence of a neurologic disorder. The predominant clinical features of a patient will depend on the site of impaction of the foreign body; the airway or the oesophagus. Endoscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and management of foreign body ingestion of which there are different modalities and equipment types. For foreign body in the airway laryngoscopy, tracheoscopy and bronchoscopy are the modalities indicated and there are also different types of retrieval devices some of which include standard biopsy forceps, retrieval graspers, retrieval forceps and polypectomy snares. The management of foreign body ingestion cuts across different specialties including Pulmonology, Otorhinolaryngology, General surgery, Cardiothoracic surgery and Gastroenterology all of which are involved in various different endoscopic procedures and their endoscopy equipment have a lot of similarities and in certain instances they can be adapted to perform varying roles. Foreign bodies in the airway require urgent endoscopic removal because it can become rapidly life threatening with associated high morbidity and mortality, therefore the available equipment should be immediately deployed to save lives. We present a case of foreign body impaction in the upper airway (larynx) that was removed with a flexible video Gastroscope using a polypectomy snare

The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: Pharmacological and toxicological considerations

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The prevalence of diabetes is on a steady increase worldwide and it is now identified as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicine alone or alongside prescription drugs for its management is quite common. We hereby carry out a review of medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes management in Nigeria. Based on the available evidence on the species׳ pharmacology and safety, we highlight ways in which their therapeutic potential can be properly harnessed for possible integration into the country׳s healthcare system. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus up to 2013 for publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management, in which the place of use and/or sample collection was identified as Nigeria. ‘Diabetes’ and ‘Nigeria’ were used as keywords for the primary searches; and then ‘Plant name – accepted or synonyms’, ‘Constituents’, ‘Drug interaction’ and/or ‘Toxicity’ for the secondary searches. Results: The hypoglycemic effect of over a hundred out of the 115 plants reviewed in this paper is backed by preclinical experimental evidence, either in vivo or in vitro. One-third of the plants have been studied for their mechanism of action, while isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) has been accomplished for twenty three plants. Some plants showed specific organ toxicity, mostly nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic, with direct effects on the levels of some liver function enzymes. Twenty eight plants have been identified as in vitro modulators of P-glycoprotein and/or one or more of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, while eleven plants altered the levels of phase 2 metabolic enzymes, chiefly glutathione, with the potential to alter the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Conclusion: This review, therefore, provides a useful resource to enable a thorough assessment of the profile of plants used in diabetes management so as to ensure a more rational use. By anticipating potential toxicities or possible herb–drug interactions, significant risks which would otherwise represent a burden on the country׳s healthcare system can be avoided